The Sheriff's Band was playing again, and when Nick ran back out to the hall, he saw people drinking and dancing exuberantly to the music. The hospital director was thanking everyone for making the auction a success. Some people were starting to leave while others stayed on to party.
He heard people calling out to him but he ignored all of them and scrambled out to the parking lot. He pushed through the jostling crowd and finally caught sight of Zoe.
She was jumping into her little car and starting the engine. Her eyes were showing too much white and even from this distance, he could scent her fear.
“Zoe, wait!”
He almost mowed down a group of burly bear shifters and their mates as he dashed towards Zoe's car. He only realized it was Tristan Gray and his brothers when they called out to him but he didn't stop. The Gray family had showed up in full force with banners and balloons to support Gramma and Ne-ma.
Snarling, Nick skidded to the spot Zoe's car had been just a few seconds ago. The woman had peeled out of the parking lot in a blind panic.
Nick ran to his car and almost tore the car door right off when he yanked it open.
“Nick! Hey, what's the hurry? We...”
Nick glanced in his rear-view mirror and saw Damien and some of his mates running after him. But Nick didn't stop for them. He wasn't stopping for anyone.
He had to get to Zoe right away. Something was happening to her. But whatever it was, he was not going to let her go through it alone.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Zoe gripped her steering wheel and tried to steady her breathing. She knew she was driving too fast, but she needed to get away from the crowd, from Nick, from everyone.
Something was happening to her. She could feel it but she couldn't understand it.
Her body felt too hot, like her blood was boiling in her veins. She could hear an insistent, agonized roar in her head, and she kept seeing images of fur and feathers.
Fur?
Feathers?
What the hell?
Her senses were going wonky.
What was going on with her?
Could her dormant shifter genes have woken up suddenly?
Both her parents were half human, half shifter. But their shifter side had never emerged. Her parents couldn't shift at all. They were both bookish, mild-mannered people, and they'd lived their lives as full humans.
Zoe had been raised as a human, and to everyone, even themselves, they were just a normal, human family. Her parents were only half shifter, so her shifter genes were so diluted that she never considered herself a shifter at all. In fact, other shifters couldn't even detect that she had shifter blood in her. She was, for all intents and purposes, a human woman.
Zoe had never thought of herself as a paranormal. But what if...she had an animal in her that was just biding its time, waiting for the right moment to rip out of her skin?
How she wished her parents and grandmother were still around. She sure could use their advice and guidance at this moment.
Zoe made a strangled sound and wrenched the steering wheel hard as her car veered up the side of the curb and almost collided into a lamp post.
Swearing and scolding herself, Zoe managed to get her car back on the road. She forced air into her lungs as she tried her best to concentrate on getting herself home in one piece.
Even though she felt unnaturally hot, she knew she wasn't burning up with a fever. She was a nurse, she should know. But what could this be? Could this be some sort of allergic reaction?
Zoe's eyes bugged. She couldn't possibly be allergic to...Nick, could she?
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to think clearly and logically.
She'd only felt these changes in her body after Nick kissed her. The kiss wasn't bad. In fact, it was amazing. Nick was a fantastic kisser, and she had been thoroughly, utterly aroused. She hadn't wanted the kiss to end. She wanted more. She wanted him. She had wanted to...mate with him.
Zoe gasped at the realization. She'd wanted to bite him and mark him hard. She wanted to mark him so everyone would know that he was hers.
Hers!
“No, no,” she whispered. “This is not right. I...am not right.”
Something was definitely wrong with her. She had never wanted to bite and mark a male before. She'd had a few boyfriends but she had never felt this urge to mark any of them. Sex was well, just sex. Sometimes it was even good. But she just knew that with Nick, sex wouldn't be just sex. Something in her had awakened to Nick's touch and kiss. Something deep in her recognized his body, his scent, his toe-curling kiss.
“What am I?” Zoe swallowed. “Am I a shifter, or am I just a freak?”
She slotted her car into a lot in front of her building and scrambled up the steps to her second-floor apartment. Unlocking the door clumsily, she stumbled in and slammed the door behind her.
With her back pressed to the door, she stifled a cry as her eyes rounded in shock.
Unblinkingly, she stared around her apartment.
She hadn't switched on the lights. The entire apartment was in darkness. Yet she could see everything with startling, terrifying clarity. She could see her furniture, her shoes, the photos beside the TV, even the tiny words on her cup on the coffee table.
What was happening to her? Her eyes were changing.
Her senses were becoming...sharper.
Even her body no longer felt like her own.
Everything about her seemed to be changing.
And it all started with a kiss.
“I shouldn't have kissed him,” she whispered.
She raised her trembling fingers to her lips and closed her eyes. With a groan, she hissed, “Oh, but I want to kiss him again. I want him...”
Her entire body shook as a violent bolt of desire exploded in her core. She squeezed her thighs together to try to stop the tormenting ache between her legs. It was no use. Her body could only be sated by one man.
A tortured sob tore from her chest. “Oh Nick...I need you...”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Nick watched Zoe bolt from her car and run straight up to her walk-up apartment. He had sped after her in his car, and his heart had almost lurched right out of his chest when he saw her drive up the curb and narrowly miss that lamp post.
She managed to keep her car on the road for the rest of her drive home, but she was still driving too fast and too recklessly. She hurtled past right lights and rounded corners dangerously. She was clearly upset, but why?
Was she upset about the kiss?
From the way she responded, she seemed to crave more. He could scent her desire and arousal, and her eyes had glowed when she looked at him.
Nick remembered that feral light in her eyes. For a heartbeat, he had glimpsed an animal behind those large, amber eyes.
But he couldn't identify her animal. Her scent had been human, up until he kissed her.
Nick's frown deepened. What kind of shifter was she? There was no doubt that she had shifter blood in her, but her scent wasn't anything he had encountered before.
Nick got out of his car and went after her. He wasn't leaving her alone. Something was going on with her. He would not leave her, no matter what.
He didn't care what sort of shifter she was. She was his.
She was afraid, but what was she scared of? Him?
His bear snarled angrily. The beast was mad that his female was running from him.
Taking the steps three at a time, Nick stopped in front of her door and forced his bear to back down. He braced his palms against her door and inhaled sharply. Zoe was on the other side of the door. He could smell her, feel her, and he could scent her tears.
“Zoe...” he growled. “Zoe, it's me, Nick.”
When she didn't answer, he forced himself to take a long breath and gentle his voice. “I know you're there. Please open the door. Don't shut me out. I won't hurt you, Zoe. I won't ever hurt you.”
“Go away,” she begged.
“No. I'm not go
ing anywhere. I'm here, and I'll remain here, just outside your door. I'm here, with you, Zoe,” Nick said softly.
After a long while, he heard her muffled voice. “I'm scared, Nick.”
At her words, Nick had to stop himself from kicking her door in so he could reach her and rescue her from whatever was frightening her. But that would probably scare her even more. Whatever was scaring her, was inside of her. Forcing his raging animal down, Nick asked quietly, “What are you scared of, Zoe?”
“I...I don't know.” She had stopped sniffling, and there was a trace of anger in her voice now. “I don't know what I am. And I'm scared...of me.”
Nick pressed his forehead against the door and said, “Zoe, will you open the door? Just let me in. We can figure this out together. Whatever it is, whatever you are, we'll figure it out. And if we can't, there are people who can help us. You don't have to do this alone. You are not alone, Zoe.”
He waited. After a minute, he heard the lock turn and the door opened a crack.
Zoe gulped audibly and opened the door wider.
Nick stepped into her apartment and watched her as she locked the door behind him. The glow was gone from her eyes, but her scent had definitely changed. The human scent was fading, and something else was coming to the fore.
Zoe turned to face him but she didn't make any move to come nearer to him. “You're a shifter, right?” she said without preamble.
“Yes. I'm a bear shifter.”
She nodded. “Can you...see everything clearly in this apartment?”
“Yes.” He didn't ask her why she didn't switch on the lights.
“So can I.”
Nick understood at once. “Your vision has changed. You can see well in the dark now.”
“Y-yes. I don't...”
“Zoe, are your parents shifters?”
She gave a jerky nod. “Both my parents are half-shifters.”
“What kind of shifters?”
“My dad was half human, half eagle-shifter. And my mom was half human, half lion-shifter. But neither of them could shift. The shifter gene seemed to be dormant in my family.” She let out a strange little laugh. “I am not even half shifter, like my parents. I'm only what? Less than a quarter shifter? Right? So how could I have an animal in me? And what animal is it? Is it an eagle or a lion? How the fuck...” Her voice was rising in pitch and volume, and there was a note of hysteria in her voice.
“Hey, hey, it's okay,” Nick said, taking her by the shoulders. “It's okay. You have shifter blood in you. Sometimes the shifter gene skips a generation. It happens.”
“You're a bear, right?” She gripped his arm desperately. “You have a great sense of smell. Can you...smell my animal? What am I? Tell me, please. What do I do? I don't even know what to do! I think I'm going mad. I don't want to lose my mind and turn into an animal...”
“You're not losing your mind, Zoe.”
“I am! I so fucking am! I...oh God, Nick.” She was gripping his arm so tightly her nails were digging painfully into his flesh. “Please...you have to leave...just go, Nick!”
“Why?”
“Because...” Her eyes snapped open suddenly and her golden eyes flashed with a feral, predatory hunger.
“I...can't control myself...I want you, Nick. You!”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Zoe tried to pull away from Nick but her body wouldn't let go. Her fingers stubbornly clung to his shoulders even as her brain screamed at her to release the man.
Nick wasn't helping. In fact, he seemed to be conspiring with her body to defy her brain. His arms circled her waist and pulled her flush against him.
“Nick...let me go...”
She felt his lips curve against her neck. “Never,” he growled.
Unconsciously, she writhed against him, increasing the delicious friction between their bodies. Her hands should be shoving him back. She should be pushing him away. Instead, she was clinging to his powerful shoulders, begging him silently to take her.
“What's happening to me?” she sobbed. Her body was begging, screaming to be touched and she felt a bone-deep need to be with Nick, to have him completely, fully, deeply. She wanted, needed to have him inside her, to join their hearts and bodies…
Her eyelids fluttered as she tried to focus. She shook her head but there was no clearing that fog that was shrouding all her senses. She was just crazed with lust, with hunger and need.
“You are in heat, Zoe,” Nick said, his voice low and ragged. “And your body recognizes that I am your mate. The hunger and need for your mate is powerful and undeniable. I won't deny you. I can't...” He took a jagged breath. “I can never deny you, Zoe.”
Zoe lifted her face to him, and his mouth crushed over hers. Her mouth opened for him immediately, and she felt her nipples harden. She rubbed wantonly against his solid chest, trying to get closer to him, to feel more of him. She wanted to tear his infuriating shirt right off his back. She didn't want anything between them. She wanted them bare and naked, and feel the raw, animal heat between them.
Zoe wrapped her legs around his hips and Nick immediately cupped her buttocks with his large hands. The sight of Nick shoving her nurse uniform up to her waist and ripping away her panties with his claws made her pussy clench and squirt.
Pushing her against the wall, Nick unzipped his jeans with one hand and released his huge, hard cock. Zoe gasped as Nick buried himself inside her with one forceful thrust. Her walls stretched and rippled, and the fleeting pain gave way to pleasure.
Nick bit her breast through her bra as he fucked her. Zoe cried out in ecstasy as Nick pounded relentlessly into her. He kept moving faster and harder, and she could feel the tips of his claws digging into the fleshy globes of her buttocks. The pain and the pleasure spiraled to an explosive climax, and Zoe screamed as she came.
As she shuddered, Nick swung her into his arms and carried her to her bedroom.
There was a tearing sound, and Zoe realized that her uniform was falling from her body in shreds.
Blinking, she saw Nick shed the rest of his clothes and prowl towards her.
Zoe licked her lips at the sight of his magnificent, powerful body. Nick was tanned, broad and huge all over. She couldn't hide her triumphant smirk when she saw his cock glistening with her juices.
She wanted to rub her body all over him and mark him with her scent. He was off limits to other females now.
She had never felt so territorial and possessive over any man before. But that was because none of the men she had been with before had been truly, completely hers.
But Nick was hers. All of him. Forever.
Zoe stared down Nick's ripped, impressive body. The sight of his large, erect cock made her lick her lips greedily. His cock would only know her body from now on. Nick was hers. Every delicious, masculine inch of him belonged to her.
Pushing herself up on her knees, Zoe crawled across the mattress to Nick and looked up at him. Staring deep into his eyes, she parted her lips and slipped his cock inch by inch into her mouth.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Nick sucked in a breath when he felt Zoe's lips wrap around his cock. She took him deep into her mouth and sucked hard. His eyes almost crossed when she swirled her tongue around the sensitive tip of his cock.
“Zoe...” he grated, fisting her thick wavy hair.
Her eyes had turned gold and were glowing with heat and hunger. The scent of her animal was growing stronger, but Nick still couldn't identify it. He had never in his life come across such a unique, extraordinary scent.
Nick inhaled deeply, savoring the distinctive, amazing scent of his mate. He didn't care what kind of shifter she was. He only cared that she was his.
Nick gritted his teeth and growled as Zoe lapped up his pre-cum and licked her lips in appreciation. He wanted to throw her on her back and take her hard, but he wouldn't deny his mate his body. He was hard and hungry for her, but she owned him. She could take what she damn pleased and torture him for as long as he could co
ntrol himself.
But his control was fast fraying.
Pinning him with her golden, glowing eyes, Zoe inched his huge cock into her mouth and cupped his aching balls in her palm. Nick growled dangerously and tensed as she took her deeper and faster. Her head was bobbing and she was making a soft, humming sound at the back of her throat. The suction and vibration was pushing him too close to the edge.
With a sudden roar, Nick pulled out of her mouth and threw her on her back. He pushed her legs wide part and shoved his cock forcefully into her wet, tight pussy.
Zoe cried out as he began to fuck her furiously. He wanted to take her hard, feel her body spasm around him and watch her tits bounce as he thrust into her. He wanted to claim her completely, make her surrender her pleasure to him and shatter violently beneath him.
Nick grabbed her generous breasts in his hands and thumbed her dark, erect nipples. She whimpered and grew wetter, lubricating his cock as he pistoned in and out of her.
Bending down, he bit the side of her breast and licked his way up to the pebbled peak. He teased and tormented her sensitive nipple with his tongue and lips, making her pant and beg.
Arching her back, she pleaded silently for him to take more. Her muscles were rippling and tightening, squeezing him rhythmically. Nick slammed into her again and again, pushing himself deep into her slick, wet heat. He suckled her hungrily, savoring the taste and feel of her in his mouth, in his arms.
Zoe raised her hips to him, taking him deeper into her body. Her eyes were fully golden, and when she pressed her hands to his shoulders, he felt her fingers curl into...talons.
Her talons were curved and sharp, and she drew blood when she clawed at his back. She gouged deep into his flesh, raking down his shoulder blades to his hips. There was a territorial, possessive, predatory gleam in her golden eyes. She was staking her claim, marking him as hers.
Nick snarled at the sharp pain and gripped her harder. He loved how tightly she was holding him with her talons. She would rather rip the flesh from his back than let him go.
Big Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (BRIDES Fur BEARS Book 4) Page 4
